Smile For Me (Student/Teacher)

Out Of Character

Tuesday, tutoring wasn't anything special, but I was very happy that I understood what he was talking about.

"So, was he good?" Kara asked me before calculus starting, Tuesday afternoon.

I rolled my eyes and continued writing in a journal for my English class for expository tips.

"I know you heard me..." She said, poking me with her pencil. "I just wanna know!"

"She liked it. Andy told me how Diana was ca-"

"Toby, shut up!" I told him, hitting his arm again. He sighed and shook his head at me with a smirk.

I understood full well that he and Andy were really close, but why had Toby suddenly opened up his stupid mouth? Andy Carl was a superstar; a famous business man and he was only twenty-four when he met me. But I was seventeen, and anybody could easily slip out that secret and it'd be all over the news that 'Andy Carl- millionare and business man-' was a pedophile.

Ryan looked over at me curiously. "I didn't know you were like that." He said.

I held my frustration back and worked on my english homework, answering Ryan carelessly. "Yep." And I worked until the bell rang, and everyone shutup immediately.

"We're taking notes." Our teacher simply said and everyone knew the drill, get out notebooks only to chicken scratch the things they caught from our teacher's quick mouth.

Of course I didn't get it, no surprise there. I tried to copy down as much as I could, then he handed us worksheets with the lesson he just went over and I worked, or tried.

When all the 'pretending to understand' class ended, no one talked to me because everytime they'd approach I'd immediately tell them, "Nope. Nope. Nope." No matter what the question was.

I turned and faced Mr. Grant when the class room was empty and the door was shut. He kept typing on his computer and felt my stare. He glared at the computer screen and typed angrily. Everything he did was just so bitter-filled.

"I told you, I'm not coming to you." He said without looking up.

I crossed my legs and kept looking at him. "Why?" I was feeling bold. Of course, I still feared him, but I feared him less than before.

His eyes shot up to me and I wanted to take the question back, but kept a poker face and still stared at him. His eyebrow raised as if what I had said was in a different language. "Why?" He repeated my question.

I nodded.

He didn't say anything. Instead he shocked me to the point to where I thought of this moment as an accomplishment. Mr. Grant huffed and stood up, took his stuff and sat in the desk right next to me, scooting it right beside mine.

Tutoring continued on how it went Monday. He'd rush over things and ask me if I understood. I'd say no and he'd get angry and we'd argue for a few minutes about how he rushed and how I needed to listen more.

When it was over I stood up and picked up my stuff and bag to throw it over my shoulder. I was almost out the door when his hard voice said my name. I stopped and turned to him. "You're coming to me next time."

For some reason it made me feel awkward, the way he said it. His glare piercing into my eyes and forced me to only walk away with out a response or even a nod.

...

"Aren't you lonely in here, Diana? It's a really big house." James said when him and my brothers were over.

I shook my head. "I like it." I told him. "The quiet is nice."

"That's her way of saying she doesn't want you guys here, you know that right?" He told my brothers. They sat in the living room and dismissed James, already knowing the truth.